The national cuisine of Japan can, without exaggeration, be called a standard of healthy food. All traditional dishes are beautifully decorated, in Japan there is even a saying: "Food, like a person, can not appear in a decent society naked."
Popular food in Japan - traditions and customs
The most popular food in Japan, the dishes from which form the basis of traditional cuisine, is rice. Due to the geographical characteristics of the country, which is surrounded by seas and oceans, fish and seafood dishes are very popular. Of course, in Japan they also eat meat (for example, the main Christmas dish is a baked chicken), but it is worth noting that it is much rarer and smaller than, say, Europe.
National cuisine of Japan has its own traditions and features:
- preparation - it is not customary to expose the products to deep heat treatment. For example, fish here is more often marinated, cooked for a couple or slightly fried, but often served and raw;
- food culture - in Japan, great importance is attached to food rituals. Very symbolic is the use of hasi (chopsticks). Spoons are very rarely used here, and asking for a fork and knife in a traditional Japanese restaurant means showing disrespect to the traditions of the country, and simply these devices may not be available;
- filing - the design of the dish itself and table setting in this Asian country is also given great attention. Any dish of Japanese cuisine can be compared to the most beautiful still life - bright, juicy and various colors.
TOP-10 national dishes of Japan
Since we are talking about the most popular food, let's see what the locals prefer. Top 10 national dishes of Japan is as follows:
- Ramen - the most common dish, which is prepared and eaten by almost all the indigenous people of the country. The composition of the dish is very simple: meat, and more often fish broth and wheat noodles, which, incidentally, is the second most important rice dish in Japan. As flavor additives when cooking ramena use a variety of herbs or roots - it turns out very tasty and useful.
- Sushi is one of the main national dishes of Japan, its business card. All over the world traditional Japanese food is associated primarily with land or "sushi", as they are called at home. The dish is a small ball or rice roll with a variety of fillings: fish, vegetables, eggs, algae), soy sauce is often used as a flavoring aid.
- Tahan is another rice dish popular in Japan, which can be compared to a plov familiar to us. Tahan is cooked both with meat (pork, chicken), and with seafood (shrimps, etc.).
- Tempura is vegetables or seafood, fried in batter. Since the preparation of this dish does not take much time, it can often be found in the Japanese menu. Most often, shrimps, bamboo, peppers or onions are used for roasting. Before serving tempura watered with soy sauce or a specially prepared mixture (sugar, fish broth, wine, etc.).
- Yakitori - small pieces of chicken fried with special skewers. The dish is often found on festivals and festivals in Japan and refers to street food.
- Onigiri - the dish is something like sushi. It is also a rice bowl with a filling (fish or pickled plum) wrapped in algae. In Japan, onigiri is often referred to as business food, since it is convenient to take the balls with you, and you can find it in any store.
- Yaki-imo is a traditional snack, which is a potato baked on wood. Yaki-imo - perhaps the most popular street food in Japan, which can be purchased at festivals in special stalls or carts.
- Sukiyaki is a meat dish cooked in a bowler hat. To the meat are added vegetables, mushrooms, onions and a special kind of noodles - udon. Serve the dish in the same container in which it was cooked.
- Zoni - soup from meat and vegetables, served with rice cake (mochi). Zonies can often be found in the New Year's menu of the Japanese.
- Fugu is an exotic and dangerous fish used in Japanese food since about the 19th century. Fugu dishes are not found in every restaurant: the fish itself is very expensive, and to work with it you need a special license and experience, because if the cooking technology is not complied with, the dish can be fatal (fugu is very poisonous).
Japan's most unusual food
On the traditional dishes of national cuisine in Japan said a lot, but this country will surprise even sophisticated gourmets. In our list of the most unusual food in Japan were the following dishes:
- Ice cream with a taste of meat will suit when you can not decide what you want more at the moment. Tastes from this dainty are different: chicken, beef and even horse meat;
- candied squid. It is difficult to take this dish to usual desserts, but it can easily be found on the shelves of Japanese shops;
- cheese drink. Many Japanese have never eaten classic cheese in their lives. But this mixture is often used for filling salads and other dishes.
The Japanese did not avoid drinks: the usual cola is produced here with the tastes of yoghurt, cucumber, mint, and lemonade can be found with the addition of curry. Such unusual drinks from Japan can be brought home as a souvenir - inexpensive and quite unofficial.
Traditional drinks of Japan
The most popular non-alcoholic drink in Japan is tea. Local residents prefer green. Sugar is not added to it - it is believed that the taste of the drink is so lost. Tea ceremonies are an integral part of Japanese culture, and only masters who have received a special education hold them.
The Japanese can not be called a drinking nation, but still drinks with a "degree" are produced and consumed here. Sake is considered a traditional alcoholic beverage in Japan. This is rice vodka, prepared according to the old technology (pasteurization and fermentation). Sake has many kinds: there is a drink with the taste of soy sauce, cheese, fruits and even mushrooms. There is even a Sake Museum in Japan! Another popular alcoholic beverage is beer, whose quality and taste are noted by connoisseurs. We remind you that alcohol under the laws of Japan can only be purchased by persons who have reached the age of 20 years.
Japanese cuisine can be spoken endlessly, but the best advice is to try and discover new tastes.